What's Happening
For the past several years, collaborative work has been done to improve fisheries, habitat and water quality in the Yakima Basin. Continuation of this work relies on getting salmon and steelhead past Bateman Island, which sits at the mouth of the Yakima Delta at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers. A man-made causeway on the south side of the island completely blocks flows, leading to very warm water temperatures west of the island.
Why It Matters
The warm water provides ideal conditions for exotic species that prey on juvenile salmon in the spring and makes it difficult for adult salmon to swim upstream in the summer. Elevated water temperatures also encourage algal blooms, Water stargrass growth, pathogen growth, and encourage mosquitoes, degrading water quality. Beginning in 2016, the current stakeholder and rights holder partners joined forces to further develop a workable plan to address these issues and in 2019, the project was chosen by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers as a Ecological Restoration project under its authority to restore degradation caused by their activities. More information can be found here.
Next Steps
Under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purview, this is an ecological restoration project that will take a stagnant backwater and river confluence area and transform it into a more naturally occurring ecological system.
Local partners will also be working to develop new opportunities with local support to determine next steps on this and other recreational interests. At the core of the project is a commitment to public engagement. We recognize that there’s a broad community invested in the outcomes of this project and we share their commitment to the long-term health of the Yakima River delta. We will continue to engage with the local community to determine next steps!
Partners
A project of this scope is made possible through the active dedication of the following organizations including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, acting as the non-Federal sponsor of the project, the Yakama Nation, the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the City of Richland, NOAA Fisheries, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Washington Department of Ecology, the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, and the owners of the Columbia Park Marina and a diverse group of community members dedicated to environmental and community development issues in the region.
Want to Get Involved?
The Corps of Engineers is currently accepting public comment on its Draft Feasibility Study published on January 30, 2023 through March 10, 2023. Visit this external link to learn more:
https://www.nww.usace.armymil/missions/projects/yakima-
Want to reach out?
Contact Merritt Mitchell-Wajeeh at [email protected] for more information.
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